Dating sims can go from one extreme to the next – being comedic in nature with the more recently popularised parody genre or being twistedly macabre with darker entries on the more dangerous side. In either case, it has become a fact that existing media are seeing much more worth in releasing a spin off or two in said style to celebrate the source material. For today, we have a listing of our favourite spin offs – be it official or unofficial entries.
Best Dating Sim Spin Offs of Pre-existing Games and Media
Persona 5: Visual Novel
Persona 5: Visual Novel is a fangame currently in development of the best selling title from developer Atlus, best known for their long-running series of Shin Megami Tensei and Persona. Persona 5: Visual Novel is framed as a dating sim, allowing any player – since player character’s name is changeable and their gender is neutral – to experience Persona 5 with a more romantic lens.
Furthermore, the game offers two separate paths for each character route – sun or moon route. These differ in the player character’s personality. As of now, Ren/Akira’s moon route and Akechi’s moon route have been completed. Ryuji, Yusuke and Ann routes are expected to follow at some point.
Love Thyself – A Horatio Story
This title is a free-to-play sci-fi dating sim, a spin off based on SEGA’s Endless Universe. Developed by AMPLITUDE Studios as an April Fool’s day joke, the game still manages to offer some interesting edges such as asking the player to find their true self as a clone living in a society of other clones of the Emperor. Choose your path wisely with a multitude of different outcomes when considering the path you choose – is it one of becoming yet another cog in the system, or will you live for yourself – and maybe that special someone?
Coming with a nifty, super secret ending and as an exclusively MxM (Boys Love) title, this one is as funny as it is impressively conceptualised.
Joestar Struck
Jonathan, Joseph, Jotaro and Josuke of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure are waiting for you to ask them out to the prom. No, we are not kidding. Based on Hirohiko Araki’s hugely popular and beloved anime and manga series, Joestar Struck celebrates each and every character they feature in this humorous spin off.
With Team Scallyway’s gifted knack at keeping all the Jojo’s in character whilst capturing the added conflicts to their routes and comedic scenarios to make for a quality time, Joestar Struck is a dating sim of a pre-existing media piece that does its source justice and then some.
Nekopara Catboys Paradise
Nekopara Catboys Paradise was originally meant to be nothing more than a very attractive April Fool’s day joke of a social media post in 2019. Come 2021, this otome based on the popular eroge series, Nekopara did release as a free-to-play short spin off.
Featuring four routes that ends before the juiciest bits that come about from a new romantic relationship having taken place, Nekopara Catboys Paradise leans more into its under the roof/harem set-up. The game plays more as an unofficial demo, but due to that, play it for the funny cat themed shenanigans alone – don’t expect your heart to be taken.
Jurassic Heart
Jurassic Heart is a short parody of the Jurassic Park IP and is one of the earliest indie comedic dating sims to take the online sphere by storm – thanks mostly due to the input of popular streamers such as PewDiePie and Markiplier’s playthroughs.
As one of our favourite weird dating sims, we have said it once and we will say it again – Jurassic Heart genuinely does have a lot of heart in the messages it has to say for such a weirdly simple and short game. Sit back and enjoy it for what its worth as a sweet, little title meant to instantly humour and comfort you.
Related: Top 5 Best Weird Dating Sims
Resident Evil 4 Otome
Resident Evil 4 Otome may be exactly that – an otome based on the events of Resident Evil 4. But if you are going to play just one game from our list, it should be this if you lean more on comedy. Indie developer Shimmersoft left no stone unturned in all the humorous possibilities of the original plotline and events when it comes to exploring them from Ashley’s point of view only.
Jumping from poking fun at the very genre it is, breaking the fourth wall and Ashley thinking and speaking like the actual player, Ashley’s more self aware version of herself here makes for easily the funniest spin off of any existing media to date.
Take Me or Leaf Me
Take Me or Leaf Me is the newest title on this list, having released this year’s Valentine’s Day. Based on developer Lumi’s own upcoming cosy title for mobiles of Kinder World, Take Me or Leaf Me is “the world’s first digital houseplant dating sim”. With gorgeous visuals, an overall cosy vibe and 6 unique endings all slotted in with over an hour’s worth of gameplay time to play with ease in any browser, Take Me or Leaf Me is a lovely parody of the genre – comedic, comforting and cute all wrapped up in one.
Symmetra’s Qualifying Matches
With talks currently being on all about Overwatch’s official dating sim spin off that was released in time for Valentine’s Day this year, too much attention and praise tends to fall on the team responsible for it – Hooked on You was no good, after all, and they certainly failed to make hearts throb with this one yet again. Symmetra’s Qualifying Matches instead pays homage to the very best of what Overwatch represents unlike LOVERWATCH.
Following 10 different matches as Symmetra as she ends up naturally gravitating towards one of three potential lovers – Junkrat, Pharah or Sombra – this title is set in the actual world and happenings of Overwatch itself whilst showing some of the very best encounters and conversations the cast would actually have with one another. It’s both hilarious and heartfelt and is much better use of your time rather than LOVERWATCH’s shallowness.
Love is Strange
Life is Strange tends to be a lot more of an emotionally heavy game to play through, especially with that ending. Love is Strange, an unofficial dating sim based on it that was created by Team Rumblebee originally for Tumblr manages to well and truly console anyone and everyone who has ever experienced the game. Love is Strange instead focuses on the wholesomeness of its set-up, removing all the suffering of the original source material.
Love is Strange puts more emphasis on the characterisation and storylines around the four perusable characters – Chloe, Kate, Victoria and Rachel – whilst capturing a more grounded development in Max herself as she builds herself up as a photographer. It’s an especially cosy time that will make you long forget about the heartache and troubles the original game gave you.
The Opera Phantom
As a mix of two existing medias – that of the mobile exclusive otome Mystic Messenger and musical The Phantom of the Opera – comes a very dramatic take on Cheritz’s highly regarded and adored female-aimed dating sim. The entire main cast of it are here in a kinetic visual novel that is chock full of CGs, all being particularly wonderfully illustrated. With a uniquely atmospheric vibe more so than any other entry on this list, The Opera Phantom is well worth exploring even if you are not interested in the genre. In fact, be sure to support its solo creator for more like this.
That is it for this list. Check out our other coverage on the genre, including Top 8 Games Similar to Hooked on You: A Dead by Daylight Dating Sim. Also follow Gamer Journalist on Facebook to stay updated with all of the latest content here!
